Minister of Education: Kuwait Continues to Translate Sustainable Development Goals into Practical Initiatives and Measures to Enhance the Quality of Education
Minister of Education Eng. Syed Jalal Al-Tabtabaee participated in the proceedings of the “Transforming Education Summit+4” (TES+4), focusing on systemic transformation and resilience to achieve Sustainable Development Goal 4. This high-level ministerial event brought together ministers of education and senior international officials, including UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay, UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina J. Mohammed, and President of South Africa Cyril Ramaphosa, within the framework of enhancing international cooperation to develop education and accelerate the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals.
The summit discussed the key achievements and challenges faced by the education sector since the Transforming Education Summit in 2022, alongside exploring ways to strengthen the resilience of education systems, ensure sustainable financing, support comprehensive digital transformation, and elevate the teaching profession, thereby contributing to accelerating the realization of SDG 4, which aims to ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all.
Minister Al-Tabtabaee also participated in the session on “Government Leadership and Youth Innovation,” alongside the education ministers of Georgia, Montenegro, and San Marino, as well as youth and international leaders from the Global Partnership for Education (GPE). The session discussed the role of government leadership, youth participation, and innovation in driving the education transformation agenda.
In his address during the session, Minister Al-Tabtabaee emphasized that Kuwait views this summit as a crucial milestone for transitioning from commitments to implementation, reviewing achieved progress, exchanging experiences, and setting priorities for the period leading up to 2030 and beyond, thereby strengthening international efforts to build more resilient, inclusive, and sustainable education systems.
At the outset of his speech, Minister Al-Tabtabaee conveyed greetings from His Highness the Amir Sheikh Meshal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, His Highness the Crown Prince Sheikh Sabah Khaled Al-Hamad Al-Sabah, and the Prime Minister Sheikh Ahmad Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah to the summit participants, expressing Kuwait’s wishes for the success of the proceedings and commending UNESCO’s efforts in leading international dialogue on the future of education and enhancing cooperation among nations.
He noted that the world is facing rapid changes and interconnected challenges that necessitate re-evaluating the capacity of education systems to adapt and endure. He explained that Kuwait has translated its commitment to achieving SDG 4 into executive measures focused on education quality, equitable access, and enhancing the resilience and responsiveness of the education system to changes.
He pointed out that the 2025-2026 academic year represented an exceptional experience in Kuwait’s educational journey, as emergency regional circumstances required swift decisions to ensure student safety and the continuity of the educational process. This led to the transition of the entire education system to remote learning across all stages, enabling more than half a million students to continue their educational journey through the digital system, with attendance rates exceeding 85%.
He added that the Ministry of Education did not limit itself to providing e-learning but implemented a comprehensive educational response that included reorganizing the school day, developing monitoring and evaluation mechanisms, enhancing technical and psychological support, and providing textbooks and educational resources electronically. Additionally, a phased mechanism was implemented to deliver textbooks to the homes of primary and intermediate school students in government schools, supported by an electronic system to track delivery processes. This resulted in delivering books to approximately 175,000 students and distributing nearly 700,000 textbooks, reaffirming the state’s commitment to the principle of equal opportunity and ensuring that learning tools reach all students.
The minister further emphasized that digital transformation has become a cornerstone in developing Kuwait’s education system. He clarified that the ministry established and launched more than 27 electronic platforms and services, including AI-supported educational resources, digital services for students and parents, and professional and administrative services for teaching and administrative staff. Notable among these is the Electronic Transport Platform, utilized by over 106,000 teachers, and an intelligent chat service linked to the curriculum, which facilitates access to knowledge, enhances performance efficiency, and improves the quality of educational services.
Minister Al-Tabtabaee stressed that teachers are the core of the educational transformation process. He explained that the ministry continued professional training and development programs despite exceptional circumstances, implementing remote training programs that benefited approximately 2,350 teachers, department heads, and educational supervisors. Concurrently, work is underway to create an integrated digital system for managing professional development, covering the identification of training needs, nomination, accreditation, implementation, and evaluation.
The minister also presented Kuwait’s national project for leveraging artificial intelligence in education, implemented in collaboration with Google. The project aims to train qualified instructors as part of a plan to enhance the capacities of approximately 40,000 teachers over two academic years. He affirmed that technology serves as a tool to empower teachers and enhance their role, not to replace them.
He clarified that Kuwait has continued, alongside managing exceptional circumstances, to implement long-term reform pathways by gradually developing national curricula from kindergarten through secondary school, in accordance with global standards and 21st-century skills. This approach strengthens national identity, critical thinking, digital awareness, and keeps pace with rapid developments in artificial intelligence.
Minister Al-Tabtabaee noted that the ministry has also begun developing a unified education regulation under a comprehensive vision for organizing educational work. The preliminary draft was made available to educational field workers for feedback and suggestions prior to its approval. Furthermore, the inspection and auditing system has been strengthened through a specialized office for reviewing procedures and work mechanisms, thereby supporting governance and enhancing institutional performance efficiency.
He added that Kuwait has keenly sought to expand community participation in education development, with more than 193,000 educational field workers and parents participating in a national survey to develop curricula, reflecting a participatory approach to educational decision-making.
In conclusion, the minister affirmed that Kuwait is committed to developing its education system in line with international visions and frameworks, enhancing cooperation with UNESCO and international partners, and leveraging global best practices to accelerate the achievement of SDG 4 and build education systems that are more resilient, inclusive, and sustainable. He emphasized that investing in education is an investment in human capital, societal stability, and the future of coming generations.
Minister Al-Tabtabaee also participated in the “Short Presentations” session within the proceedings of the Transforming Education Summit+4 (TES+4). During his intervention, he highlighted aspects of Kuwait’s experience in educational transformation, reform, and innovation, and the efforts aimed at achieving tangible results in developing the education system. He shed light on the key lessons learned from the Kuwaiti experience that could contribute to enriching educational practices and facilitating knowledge exchange among countries.
